Space radiation risk modelling

In the coming decades, space exploration will include the return of man to the Moon and the first manned Mars expedition. During these missions, astronauts will be continuously exposed to space radiation, consisting of ions ranging from Hydrogen up to Iron with a broad energy spectrum, making full shielding unfeasible. Additionally, they may occasionally face intense Solar Particle Events. To ensure astronaut safety, it is crucial to model the risk of such radiation exposure, particularly the risk of carcinogenesis. We work on combining the Local Effect Model predictions with spectral properties of the radiation field to estimate cancer in various space mission scenarios and to evaluate the role of secondary particles generated by the interaction of an ion with the shielding material or body of an astronaut.

Publications on the topic
  • Hufnagl A, Scholz M, Friedrich T. Modeling Radiation-Induced Neoplastic Cell Transformation In Vitro and Tumor Induction In Vivo with the Local Effect Model. Radiation Research 195:427-440 (2021). doi:10.1667/rade-20-00160.1

  • Durante M, Cucinotta FA. Physical basis of radiation protection in space travel. Reviews of Modern Physics 83:1245-1281 (2011). doi:10.1103/revmodphys.83.1245

Project contributors

Group Leader:
Dr. Thomas Friedrich

 

PhD Students:
M.Sc. Virginia Boretti


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